Strange Days
by Gemini14
Summary: Red River Fanfic. When an odd mishap occurs in an attempt to send Yuri home, what sorts of misadventures await? And is everything really as it seems?
1. Part One

Strange Days

Part One

It had all started with an attempt to get back home. As Suzuki Yuri finally stepped back into the spring that had originally brought her to the ancient Hittite Empire, she had to use all of her willpower to prevent herself from looking back….and, subsequently, running back into Kail's arms shortly afterwards.

"_Can't look back_……_Can't look back_……_Can't look back_….." Yuri silently chanted in her mind like a sutra; struggling to ward off the crushing feelings of sorrow at leaving the prince's side like this. Yet, before she had any time to react, something suddenly knocked her into the spring, and pulled her down; not leaving her enough time to even hold her breath before the plunge.

"_I'm going to drown! Help! Kail!_" Yuri frantically thought, as she struggled to swim up towards the surface; feeling some relief when she felt the bottom beneath her booted feet, yet allowing some confusion to emerge within her, when she noticed that it was smooth.

"_Was the bottom of the spring lined with stone? I can't remember_….." Yuri mused, increasing her efforts when she saw a faint light appear above her.

"_Finally!_" Yuri thought, as she raced for the surface as fast as she could go.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Marie Suzuki sighed, as she made her way to the bathroom with her bath towels and nightclothes in hand. It had been close to two years since her younger sister, Yuri, had disappeared without a trace, and still her family grieved. The intelligent, happy-go-lucky teenager had been a constant joy to her family…..and she found it especially hard to believe she was gone.

"_I'm getting depressed again. It won't help the situation any, to worry like this_….._But I can't seem to help it. I can't just give up on my little sister!_" Marie thought, as she entered the bathroom and began to get the tub ready for her bath. As she settled into the tub and watched the water fill it, other thoughts began to run through her mind, especially of the time when Yuri had almost 'drowned' in that same tub…..now beginning to wonder if there had been some grain of truth in what the younger girl had tried to tell her and Eimi then. She was startled from her thoughts when something odd began to happen; the water in front of her suddenly started bubbling, and what appeared to be hair appeared in front of her!

"Kami-sama!!" Marie almost screamed, as she got out of the water as fast as she could go (almost slipping and falling in the process), and then watching from a safe distance just what was happening.

"Marie-chan? Daijobu?" a woman's voice called, concernedly.

"Mama…..something weird is happening! Get in here, quick!" Marie replied, as she hurriedly grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her; listening as her mother and Eimi rushed into the room and stood beside her, their eyes widening at the bizarre occurrence.

"What in the world…..?!" the woman muttered; falling silent when something abruptly broke through the water, gasped for air, and just about hit its' head on the rim of the tub while it was at it.

"Wait…..Is that……?" Eimi began to say, as the thing (which now appeared to be a seventeen-year-old girl) blearily looked up at them and smiled.

"Yuri!!" the woman suddenly shouted, as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the girl's sodden shoulders; sobbing with relief as she did that.

"What happened to you? Where in the world have you been?! We've all been worried sick!" the woman scolded, the tears in her eyes and the overjoyed smile on her face ruining the effect her words may have had. At this, Yuri could only manage a watery smile of her own.

"I made it back, Mama…..I really did." Yuri whispered; sniffling as she took in the faces of those she had missed so dearly in the past two years.

"We're glad you're back, Nee-chan!" Eimi said, gleefully; just as relieved as her mother and sister was about her elder sister's reappearance. But the surprises weren't over yet. Almost as soon as Yuri had caught her breath, and was able to stand up on her own, another bizarre thing happened; as they watched, what appeared to be the body of a man floated to the surface of the water……and alarm appeared on Yuri's face, when she saw this occur and seemed to realize who it was.

"Oh no……Kail! Mama, Onee-chan, help me! He'll drown if we don't get him out!" Yuri yelped, as she dove forward and grabbed the man's arms; struggling to pull him out of the tub and onto the linoleum around it.

"Calm down, Yuri-chan. I'll help you." The woman said, quietly, as she also took hold of one of the man's arms (gently moving her daughter aside so she could latch onto his other arm), and together they pulled the senseless man from the tub. In the meantime, Marie's mind was in shambles; not only had her sister returned in the strangest way, but she'd also brought a man with her!

"_And a drop-dead gorgeous man, at that_……" Marie mused, as she quickly got dressed, and returned to her mother's and Yuri's sides; wanting to be of as much help as she could, to her sister, and the stranger she'd brought with her into their lives.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Yuri tried her best to tamp down on her rising panic, when she saw that Kail's face was getting paler, and his lips were turning blue.

"Not good…..he may have inhaled some water." Yuri's mother murmured, as she also noticed how shallow Kail's breaths were, when he even tried to breathe.

"Let me try!" Yuri said, as she carefully opened Kail's mouth, angled his head back, clamped his nose shut, put her mouth over his and blew and as strongly as she could. At first, nothing happened, and the second try yielded the same results……Then, on the third attempt, she got a response. With a gurgling cough, Kail choked up the water that had found its' way into his lungs; hacking almost painfully as he was turned onto his side, and his back was pounded on to help loosen whatever was left in his chest.

"Kail? Are you okay?" Yuri asked, worriedly, as she tearfully looked down at his pallid features.

"Yu…..ri? Wh-where…..?" Kail whispered, before Yuri gently put a hand to his lips to quiet him.

"Please stay calm, Kail…….I'll explain in a little while where you are, okay?" Yuri asked, in turn. With a weary nod, Kail agreed; finally truly settling down when his head was carefully placed on her lap, and drifting into exhausted slumber shortly afterwards.

"Yuri-chan? Who is this? Is he…..?" Marie asked, yet got a plaintive look from the younger girl in response to her questions.

"I'll explain as much as I can, after Kail has been settled, okay?" Yuri said, tiredly.

"Okay….." Marie agreed, even though her curiosity was growing by the moment. As they all slowly hoisted Kail onto their shoulders, Yuri could tell that she was in for a long evening of questioning; her mother looked worried, Marie seemed a little suspicious of Kail, and Eimi was, for once, quiet….

"_This is definitely gonna take some explaining!_" Yuri inwardly sighed, as they carried the senseless Hittite king into the guest bedroom…..and her family was just the 'icing on the cake'. How in the world was she going to explain to Kail just how her time worked?

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

The first sensation that returned to him was touch. He could feel what seemed to be cloth against his skin, the texture telling him that they were bedsheets of some kind. Then he noticed that the air around him was cool; almost as though it were autumn or winter again.

"_But I know for a fact that it has to be spring! The Morning Star had been high in the sky when I'd sent Yuri back to her own country!_" Kail thought, bewilderingly, as he slowly became conscious enough to open his eyes…..Instantly regretting that decision, when the light through the window struck them and made his head throb painfully within his skull.

"Curse it….." Kail hissed, painfully, as he quickly closed them again, and placed an arm over them, for added measure.

"Kail? Are you all right?" Yuri's voice asked, from close by; her drowsy tone hinting that she had been asleep up until just then, and had awakened when she'd heard him speak.

"Yuri…..? What in the world happened?" Kail asked, turning his head in her direction, but keeping his eyes closed, in an effort to ward off the pain.

"You sent me home, remember?" Yuri asked, after hesitating for a few moments.

"Yes……But what happened afterwards? Did you turn back?" Kail again asked. He could almost see it when the girl shook her head.

"No……I'm in Japan now…..we…..both are….." Yuri replied. At this, Kail's eyes shot open, and he gave Yuri a disbelieving look in response to this.

"In……your homeland?" Kail muttered, after a few stunned moments. Yuri nodded.

"Oh gods……" Kail mumbled, as he put one hand over his face, and breathed a shaky sigh, "_What a predicament!_"

"Kail?" Yuri questioned, worryingly. At this, Kail could only utter another sigh, and then look up at Yuri; somehow managing a smile, despite what this meant.

"I suppose I'll need to get to know your country, somewhat?" Kail asked, rhetorically; his words getting an odd reaction from Yuri. At first, she seemed shocked at how well he seemed to be taking this, uneasy, and then a giddy smile appeared on her childish face.

"Sure! Wait a minute, and I'll be right back!" Yuri said, as she quickly stood and made to leave the room.

"Yuri." Kail called, as he gently grabbed her wrist, pulled her close to him, and kissed her……releasing her, seconds after that.

"Just a kiss, this time?" Yuri asked, curiously; a bit taken aback by the usually lecherous king's restraint, this time. At this, Kail allowed a wry smile to cross his face.

"Judging from how you had reacted when we had first met, I don't think it would be very wise of me to try the same here." Kail replied, then added, as his eyes got a hint of a wicked glint in them, "Yet, if you wish, we can go a bit further than just a kiss."

"You lech." Yuri muttered, half-heartedly; smiling mischievously at him as she said that, before kissing him on the tip of his nose in retaliation to that comment, and then sauntering off.

"But that is why you love me, is it not?" Kail asked, with a laugh, before he got another pillow thrown at him, in answer to that.

"_Maybe this country won't be so bad, after all_….." Kail mused, his spirits already lifted when he'd seen how happy Yuri was acting. Little did he realize just what kind of learning curve was ahead of him…..

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"How's your friend doing, Yuri-chan? Has he woken up yet?" Marie asked, when she'd seen the seventeen-year-old emerge from the guest room.

"Hai. He's a little confused, but otherwise he's just fine." Yuri replied, the relief in her voice very evident.

"Is it true, Nee-chan? Is he really a famous Hittite king?" Eimi questioned, eagerly. At this, Yuri could only sigh in exasperation.

"Hai….he is. I just wonder how he's going to react to seeing everything here. I'll even have to explain electricity to him!" Yuri muttered, then added, "I was more used to being the student, not the teacher!"

"Then we'll just have to help you, right, Onee-chan?" Eimi said, as she looked up at Marie.

"I guess so….." Marie agreed; jumping slightly when a slight thump came from the guest room, and Yuri rushed back upstairs to see what had happened, with Eimi and Marie right behind her.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Yuri couldn't help but chuckle, when she entered the room again, and saw what Kail had gotten himself into. The bedsheets had somehow managed to get tangled around his long legs; effectively bringing him down in a cursing heap.

"_Better be glad he's using his own language_……_Don't think Mama and Tou-san would really appreciate Eimi picking up any more bad language_……." Yuri mused; giggling, despite herself, when Kail growled a foul-sounding epithet about Nakia's ancestors (and knowing, without even needing to really be there, that the evil queen was now sneezing her head off, in response to it).

"Not a word, Yuri. Not a single word." Kail grumbled, as he finally got his legs untangled, and then lifted himself from the floor; wincing when he felt how stiff he truly was, and then pausing when he noticed that Yuri wasn't alone, this time.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Kail." Yuri replied, cheekily, then glanced at her sisters, "By the way, this is my older sister, Marie, and my younger sister, Eimi."

"Good to meet you, Kail-sama!" Eimi chirped, cheerfully.

"Yes. It's good to meet you." Marie added, politely.

"Likewise." Kail replied, bemused by Eimi's bubbly personality, and Marie's more sedate, patient one; seeing how Yuri was a good mixture of the two…..and also seeing how this land was easier on them.

"_They've had none of the internal strife I've had to grow up with_….._In which case, they have been very fortunate._" Kail thought, as he then stood, and looked to Yuri for the next course of action……only to find himself confused, when she uttered a squeak of surprise, and then dove to cover Eimi's eyes. On the same token, Marie was blushing profusely; her face practically glowing in embarrassment, even as her eyes remained riveted to him. Finally thinking to look down, Kail could see what now had the girls to flustered; he was completely nude!

"_Oh kami_……_I'd completely forgotten that Mama had removed his clothes so they could be dried off!_" Yuri thought, as she looked up at Kail and gave him a look that was a cross between mortified, and minutely irritated, since he was just standing there, and making no attempt to cover himself.

"Do you like what you see?" Kail asked, with his usual lady-killer smile. Marie could only nod dumbly in response.

"Uh-huh….." Marie replied, almost incoherently, through her beet-red blush.

"Onee-chan, you're drooling." Yuri muttered, dryly, before hissing at Kail, "Get covered up! Eimi-chan's too young to see…..that….yet!"

"As you wish." Kail answered, with a gracious smile…..before promptly turning around and showing them his bare butt, instead.

"KAIL!!" Yuri shouted, in exasperation; only further frustrated when he started laughing at her.

"_Infuriating man! This is gonna be a __long__ week!_" Yuri thought, in annoyance, as she ushered both of her sisters out of the guest room, so Kail could at least get covered up again. She never even realized just how right she would be, about that!

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Very odd idea for a story, I know (and yes, I have indeed read all of Red River, up until the most recent release. This just makes an interesting 'what if'!) Hopefully I'll be able to manage a few surprises, in the meantime! Thanks for reading!**_

_**Gemini14**_


	2. Part Two

Part Two

Mitsuko could only guess what had just occurred, when Yuri and Marie both came downstairs with glowing faces (and with Yuri's hands still firmly over Eimi's eyes).

"Gomen, girls. I forgot to warn you about that." Mitsuko said, and got an almost deadpan look from Yuri for an answer, as she released the now very confused Eimi from her grasp (Marie, on the other hand, was still dazed by what she had seen).

"Understatement of the century, Mama." Yuri muttered, yet sighed in relief when she saw that her mother had just returned from a shopping trip, and had bought some clothes for Kail, while she had been at it. But again that feeling of foreboding came over her; the clothes of this time were vastly different from what Kail had been used to…..how difficult would it be to teach him how to even get dressed?

"_This__ is gonna be fun_……" Yuri groused, as she and her mother returned upstairs with the clothing; dreading the lesson Kail was about to learn about modern-day clothes.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Kail smiled as Yuri returned to the room, with another woman right behind her.

"It's good to see you've woken up. My daughter has been quite worried about you." The woman beside Yuri said, calmly; her gentle smile surprising Kail, to no end.

"Since she'd stayed by my side as I slept, I will have to agree." Kail replied; chuckling when Yuri gave both him and her mother an unreadable look about those comments.

"Do you feel up to getting dressed? I went ahead and bought you some clothes, while I was out earlier. I hope they fit." Mitsuko said, as she handed Kail the aforementioned clothes; smiling as he curiously looked them over.

"Such odd materials……Are all clothes made like this, in this place?" Kail asked.

"Pretty much…..But if you think those are strange, then I think you would have really been confused by the 'Seventies and 'Eighties……" Yuri's mother commented, jokingly, and was rewarded with a blank look from the displaced king for her efforts.

"Mama, you're confusing him……" Yuri sighed, and then stepped forward and pointed each article of clothing out to him, "Okay, here's your underwear, socks, blue jeans and sweatshirt. Put everything on in that order, and you'll be good to go."

"Where are we going?" Kail asked, still sounding bewildered by what he'd just been told. At this, Yuri's face lit up in an eager smile.

"There's lots of places we can go!" Yuri replied, enthusiastically; her response getting at least a warm smile from Kail.

"Then show me this world you had come from, Yuri." Kail said, as he then stood (this time being a little more careful not to flash her or her mother) and began getting dressed.

"Well, before you two head out, have some breakfast first." Mitsuko said, firmly, "Yuri-chan, come and help me, will you?"

"Sure! Be right there!" Yuri replied, as she hurried after her mother, but not before giving Kail slight smile over her shoulder as she went. She got a bemused smirk from the Hittite king, as a response. Even though things were strange to him, so far he seemed to be taking everything in stride.

"_But what else is waiting for me out there?_" Kail wondered, as he put on the clothes that had been brought to him; his thoughts drifting to what kind of chaos had been caused by his disappearance…..and hoping that Nakia wasn't plotting anything else that would prevent him from returning home.

"_Well, in any event, it won't do me any good to worry about it, now. Now, I can only enjoy this borrowed time I have with Yuri_….." Kail mused, as he quickly finished dressing, and hurried out of the room.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

The scent that hung around the kitchen was a welcome one, as Yuri and Marie helped their mother prepare breakfast.

"Something smells quite good. What sort of dish are you making?" Kail's voice asked, prompting them to turn around, and see that he was standing there watching them.

"Um……scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes and a few other breakfast dishes. Are you hungry?" Marie asked, shyly.

"Very much so." Kail replied, warmly.

"Then, by all means, have a seat! You are royalty, after all. It would be rude to make you stand and wait there!" Mitsuko chirped; her pleasant personality a vast contrast to Nakia's icy and hateful one.

"_Amazing how Mama has taken Kail under her wing like this, but Tou-san will be another story_……" Yuri thought, as she watched Kail have a seat at the dining room table; guessing that he was thinking the same thing, when he heard the front door open, and her father came in from work.

"I'm home!" a man's voice called, as its' owner entered the house and set his briefcase down.

"Tou-san!" Marie and Eimi replied, as they rushed to greet their father, with Yuri right behind them. Kail could only guess just what went through the older man's mind, when he spotted his missing daughter with the other two; smiling wistfully when he heard the sobs of the man from his seat.

"_I can only hope that nothing of this nature ever happens to me_……_but I also hope that I'll be able to be honest with myself like this man, if it did._" Kail mused, as he watched the overjoyed father rush into the room with all three of his daughters at his side.

"So this is the young man who had brought you home, then, Yuri-chan?" the older man asked, as he looked warmly at Kail (even though his eyes still looked a little teary).

"Yes." Kail replied.

"Then you have my gratitude. We've all been so worried…..So, my daughters tell me you're from the Middle East. Is that true?" the man asked, curiously. Kail nodded.

"_And then some_……" Yuri thought, with an abashed smile, as she took her seat at the table beside Kail; getting a slightly confused glance from him, in response to this.

"He is." Yuri said, looking up when her mother brought the food to the table, and silently thanking her for her perfect timing; the arrival of the food cutting the round of questioning short, for the time being.

"_Let's just hope we can get out of the house before it resumes!_" Yuri mused, giggling softly when she saw Kail's expression upon seeing the different foods that Mitsuko had placed on the table, and just how big of a learning curve the young king had ahead of him, in this world of hers'……but she was going to make the most of her time with him, since she wasn't sure just how long he would remain with her till duty called him back to his own place…..and time.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Before he could even blink twice, Kail suddenly found himself walking down the street with a very enthusiastic Yuri leading him by the hand. Even though he was still very confused by what he was seeing around him, he could tell that Yuri was eager to explain as much as she could about this world she had been born into.

"_This place seems just as mysterious to me, as mine must have been to her_……_Structures made of metal and glass? Wagons that have no horses? Very strange_……" Kail thought, as he took in all around him with wide-eyed wonder. And the buildings were just the beginning…..All around him, people were also going about their daily lives; some of them seeming so bizarre and otherworldly to the displaced king, that he wasn't even sure he could trust his eyes anymore. Their clothes were either brightly colored, or drab and dark…..and sometimes even their hair was different colors!

"It seems your mother had been right…..The clothes and people of your homeland are very strange to me!" Kail muttered, making certain that none of the people he was talking about heard him, as they walked along. At this, Yuri could only give him an abashed smile.

"Well, Kail, as much as I hate to say this, you really haven't seen anything yet! C'mon! I'll show you what I mean!" Yuri replied, then started leading him by the hand towards the shopping district. Kail's 'crash course' in modern day life was just about to begin…..

_**Author's Note!**_

_**Very short chapter, compared to the first, I know, but I could use some ideas! What do you think Yuri and Kail should encounter in the shopping district? What sorts of misadventures should they end up having before they come out? Please let me know! Any ideas will be very helpful, at this point! Thanks!**_

_**Gemini14**_


End file.
